After
by Commandant
Summary: A terrible incident has left Yuri mute and almost catatonic, leaving Raven to look after him.
1. Flynn comes to visit

Raven knocked on the door before slowly pushing it open and peeking inside. "Yuri, ya awake?" the older man asked as he walked into the dimly light room, the late morning light filtering in through the thin fabric of the curtains. He pulled them open, letting the full force of the light flood into the room. He glanced over to the bed, meeting the gaze of the two charcoal grey eyes that were so familiar to him now. "Did ya see how nice it is today? We can have lunch outside when Flynn comes over," he said, smiling brightly as he walked over to the dull-eyed young man.

"Alright, up an' at 'em, seize th' day, and all that junk," Raven mumbled, mostly to himself, as he hoisted the younger man out of bed and onto his feet. "Just wait til Flynn sees how much better you've gotten." He tossed the younger man a fresh set of clothes. "Ya can get dressed on yer own, right?"

Yuri nodded slowly, as he started to pull on his pants. Raven turned away, bending down to pick up a few items that laid scattered on the floor. He looked up, seeing Yuri now at his side. "All set?" He straightened the collar on Yuri's shirt slightly. "Let's get some food in ya then. You want some pancakes?"

Yuri nodded silently, and allowed the older man to take hold of his hand and lead him to the kitchen.

The room was silent for a few minutes as Raven cooked. He brought the stack of pancakes over to the table and put them down in front of Yuri, pulling a chair up as he sat down next to the blank-faced young man. He cut into the top pancake and stabbed a section with a fork.

"Open up" He said as he held the food up to Yuri's mouth. It seemed to take a second for the words to be processed, but they got there, and the younger man opened his mouth. "There ya go. Don't forget ta chew." Raven watched him carefully. "How is it, good?" Yuri nodded. The older man rolled his eyes "You know it's the same thing you ate yesterday, right?" Yuri nodded again. "Alright, ready for another bite?" The process repeated until the pancakes were gone.

"Hey, we better get ya dressed before Flynn gets here" Raven said as he hoisted Yuri up out of his seat. "He aughta be here soon, aren't ya excited?"

* * *

"He really does seem a lot better," the blond young man said quietly as he observed Yuri. "I mean... especially when you think what he was like... right after it happened." Flynn looked down at the blanket, his eyes following the patterns of light that filtered through the big tree that spread its branches out above them.

"What, ya didn't believe me? I told you he was a lot better, that's why I said you should come out and see him." Raven responded, keeping one eye on Yuri, who was sitting on the other side of the blanket, looking out at the rooftops of Dahngrest, interspersed with small bursts of color from plants in bloom. Repede, his constant companion, lay at his side, his head resting on his front paws. "I know yer busy; I wouldn't have bothered ya if he wasn't gettin' any better."

"Hey, I'm busy, but Yuri's been my best friend since we were little. Of course I can make time for him. Plus there really isn't much to do, it's been peaceful for a while now, you know that" Flynn seemed slightly bothered, but did not raise his voice.

The older man shrugged "I dunno, Alexei always seemed pretty busy ta me, peacetime or not... He may've been crazy but he was damn good at what he did."

"What are you saying?"

"Hey, I'm just observin' is all. Yer looking far too deep into it. I mean ya just started, ya can't be perfect right away"

"I knew it! You don't think I'm a good commandant! Well if that is what you think, you're welcome to take my place, Captain Schwann. I'm sure that if you were to return the council would be more than happy to restore your rank and make you commandant since you're _far_ more qualified than me!"

"They wouldn't restore th' rank of a dead soldier. I told ya, Schwann is dead. It's Raven now. 'Sides I'm getting too old fer that stuff now. It's time fer young people like you, Flynn. You'll do good, it'll just take time. I wasn't tryin ta talk down ta ya, so calm down." Raven scratched his head and added, "Ya don't wanna upset Yuri, do ya?"

Yuri was looking over at the other two then, his brows slightly furrowed. Upon noticing this, Flynn crawled across the blanket to him "Yuri, I'm sorry, I hope I didn't upset you." He said somewhat frantically, "I'm really glad I could come see you, and now I'm wasting the little time I have by arguing... I shouldn't do that, please forgive me..."

Yuri stared blankly at the blond man's desperate face before pushing it away with an uncharacteristic lethargy. He then turned away from Flynn, turning his attention to his canine companion with a pat on his head.

"Yuri..." Flynn frowned.

"Told ya you'd upset him. But no one ever listens ta th' old man, 'specially not ones as stubborn as you are," Raven said with a sigh.

"...I-I'm not stubborn!" Flynn seemed insulted at the accusation.

Repede's tail twitched as he emitted a faint grumbling sound.

Raven simply laughed "See, even th' dog knows that ya are." He took a moment to regain his composure, then continued, "Listen Flynn, ol' Raven's had a lifetime of dealin' with stubborn people, I know it when I see it. Alexei, Don Whitehorse, Yuri, an' you. I ain't faultin' ya for it, nobody's perfect." He added with a goofy smile, "hell, even the great Raven ain't perfect."

Flynn began to raise an objection, but, as he glanced in Yuri's direction, seemed to think better of it. He let out a feeble, slightly awkward laugh, "You know, you're the only person I know who alternately derides and praises himself so emphatically."

"It's one of my many skills, y'see." Raven yawned then, stretching his arms above his head before allowing himself to fall back onto the grass. He tilted his head back, and glimpsed an approaching figure. "Well if it ain't miss Sodia," he offered a lazy wave to the female knight, "how ya been, darlin?"

Sodia glanced at the man with a look of suppressed distaste, "Just fine, thank you. I see you're the same as ever."

Raven grinned, "Right back at ya."

Flynn turned to Sodia and smiled, making her blush, "Sodia, there's nothing the matter, is there?"

"N-no sir, it's just, you have to go meet with the Don remember? We didn't come to Dahngrest just to visit your friend," she glanced over at Yuri then, still facing away, looking down the hillside with Repede.

"Ah yes... Is it time for that already?" Flynn seemed slightly disappointed, almost like a child who had just been told it was time for bed.

"Yes sir..." she paused, and then grudgingly added, "we can come see him again before we leave tomorrow, alright?"

Flynn beamed at this, and got to his feet, "that sounds like a wonderful idea." He glanced down at Raven, "w-would that be fine with you?"

"Far be it from me ta turn down a request from th' Commandant," he folded his arms behind his head.

"Then that's what we'll do," Flynn said firmly. He walked over to where Yuri sat, "Yuri, I have to go now, but I'll be back to see you tomorrow, ok?" he gently placed his hand on his friends shoulder as he spoke.

Yuri flinched sharply at the contact, jerking his head around to look at Flynn, a momentary fear in his eyes before he recognized the hand as being Flynn's. He offered up a small, almost indiscernible nod. Flynn's brow furrowed at Yuri's reaction, but as Sodia was now physically pulling him away, he had no chance to say anything besides a hurried goodbye.


	2. Karol is collateral damage

[[So it seems a few people were very interested to know what happened to Yuri. Obviously revealing it already would be too easy, but you can probably get a vague idea from this chapter. Yuri actually.... isn't in this chapter. Raven is, but not till the second half. INSTEAD WE HAVE KAROL AND JUDITH. I was going to switch over back to Yuri for the second half of the chapter but the bit with Karol ended up longer than I anticipated. SO YEAH. Yuri will be back in the next chapter, for sure. ]]

He could barely see from the tears blurring his vision and the blood flowing down his face, the dim light from out the window made everything appear like shadows. He was clutching the wound at his side, gritting his teeth to withstand the pain.

From where he lay on the floor, he could just barely make out the other two people in the room. He heard a pained groan in a familiar voice, and involuntarily cried out softly, "Yuri!"

"Karol... g-get out of here..." Yuri's voice was tense and uneven, and held none of its usual strength and confidence.

Karol found he could not move his legs, whether it was due to injury or his own petrifying fear he was unable to tell. He could do nothing, watching the dark shapes helplessly, uttering plaintive cries interspersed with sobbing, "Y-Yuri, p-please... s-someone... h-help... s-someone help Y-Yuri!"

He shakily brushed away the tears and blood clouding his vision, and through the darkness of the room, he glimpsed Yuri's face. Their eyes met, but Yuri's dark eyes seemed unable to see at all, staring through him into nothing, frozen, expressing nothing but pain and fear, emotions that Karol was entirely unaccustomed to seeing on that face. "Yuri!" he cried out again, everything around him a vague blur, only able to see those deathly cold eyes and red stains of blood.

Karol suddenly found himself awake, breathing hard, confused to find himself in bed, safe, if not entirely sound. He felt a gentle hand touch the side of his head and he turned to see Judith standing next to him.

"You were crying out in your sleep again, so I woke you up," she said softly, a look of quiet concern on her face. She sat, perching lightly on the edge of the bed, "It was that same one again, wasn't it?"

Karol nodded, rubbing his face as if to brush away the lingering remnants of the memory. He sat up, knowing he would not be able to fall back asleep that night, "It all gets blurrier every time... except for the worst parts... they're always as clear as they were when it happened..." he frowned, still visibly shaken.

"Well at least it's happening much less often than it used to," Judith put her hand on Karol's shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"I just wish Yuri could get better too..." Karol remarked quietly, worry on his face. From when she had first met him, Karol seemed to have aged greatly, though it had only been a few years. "I-I wish I could help him get better... But whenever I look him in the eyes and there's just... nothing there... I can't bear it..."

Judith embraced him lightly, "It alright Karol, it would be unfair to expect that much of you." She released him and smiled, "All you need to worry about is your guild. Just think of how proud Yuri will be when he sees how much Brave Vesperia has grown."

Karol sniffed softly, slightly teary eyed, "Y-You're right, Judy... Thanks," he smiled softly.

Judith responded simply with a smile, and as she stood up she added, "I'm sure he'll be glad to see how much you've grown too."

"That's right! I'm not just some kid for everyone to pick on anymore!" He slid out of bed, striking a somewhat comical triumphant pose. "I'm even taller than Rita now."

Judith laughed, "at the rate you're growing you'll be taller than Raven pretty soon." She then turned her head to glance out the window, "Oh, the sun is about to rise." The two of them watched in silence as the hue of the sky shifted through the spectrum; red, orange, gold, creamy yellow, greyish green, and finally blue.

Karol turned his head to look at Judith, "good morning, Judy."

Judith smiled, and replied, "good morning, boss." She turned to leave the room, but stopped, and turned her head, "I'm going to go check in with Ba'ul. Will you will be alright by yourself?"

"I'll be fine, I feel a lot better now." his face brightened as a thought occured to him, "Oh, I can make breakfast while you do that, and then we can eat together!"

"That sounds lovely, Karol. I'll be back in a little while, then." she then turned and left, leaving Karol alone.

Karol dressed, and headed into the kitchen, getting out all the necessary pots, pans, and ingredients. He was a surprisingly capable cook for his age, having gotten plenty of experience with it when he was out traveling with his friends. Even Rita had admitted, at one point, that his cooking was "pretty edible." He enjoyed doing things like cooking now, because he didn't have room to dwell on things, lest let something or other burn. Judith walked in the door as he was setting out plates on the table, "Oh, Judy, perfect timing!"

"It smells delicious," she said, smiling as she sat down.

Karol sat as well, "Ba'ul's doing alright, I assume?"

Judith nodded, "We should take the newer members out to meet him sometime this week, he is a pretty important part of our guild, don't you think?"

"Of course! That sounds like a great idea. We can decide what day at the guild meeting today," Karol smiled and began eating. The two were quiet for the next few minutes as the ate, and all went as normal until they had just finished cleaning up. Karol was in the bathroom when he heard a familiar voice.

"Oh Judith darlin' how I've missed your voluptuous-ow! Jeez, ya didn't even let me finish..."

"I can guess what you were going to say, old man."

Karol burst out of the bathroom, "Raven!" he cried out as he ran over to the familiar scruffy man.

"Aw Judy babe, don't be like that, can't I just get a h-oh hey there, Karol!" Raven beamed at the boy, "how ya been? Feels like I haven't seen ya in ages. Man, you're gettin' tall."

Karol grinned, "I'm doing good! We just got a bunch of new members last week!" his smile then lessened, as he added, "... how's Yuri doing?"

Raven sighed softly as he linked his arms behind his head, "he's doing alright, s'kinda hard fer me ta notice th' change since I'm with him everyday, but Flynn said he did seem a lot better."

"Oh, so him coming to visit worked out after all?" Judith asked.

"Yeah, he had to come out to meet with Harry 'bout somethin' or other, so he managed to sneak in some time ta visit with us. He's with 'im now, actually."

"Well that's good then," Judith smiled. "It should do him some good to spend some time with an old friend."

Raven nodded, "yeah, I'm sure it will." he paused, then added, "y'know, I bet he'd like it if you came ta see him too, Karol."

Karol looked at his feet, not saying anything.

Seeing this, Judith spoke instead, "we should both come by and visit, that way he'll get two visitors instead of just one." She looked at Karol, "would that be alright with you, Karol?"

"But Judy darlin', you visit plenty of times already! Not that I mind, I just figure ya got other things that need doing too."

"Judith glanced at Raven with a look that was almost a glare, "You know this isn't easy for Karol to do."

Karol was silent for a moment before he shook his head, "N-no, Raven's right... I should come see him on my own. I have to be strong."

Raven ruffled Karol's hair, "Just don't push yerself too hard, alright?"

Karol nodded, smiling a little again, "I won't."

"Alrighty then. I gotta go runs some errands 'fore I have ta head back when Flynn leaves, but you try ta stop by sometime soon, yeah?" Raven said as he turned to leave.

"Y-yeah! I promise!"


	3. Raven breaks into his own house

[[Thanks for the encouraging reviews, guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you liked the last two~

Also bonus points to whoever can tell me what game Stella is from. YES I PUT A RANDOM CAMEO IN THE FANFIC. Because I can.]]

"Oh, Good morning, Raven!" a young blond woman shouted out as she spotted him passing by. "It feels like you almost never stop by anymore," she said, lifting up the signboard she held in her lap, on which was displayed the tavern's specials for the day.

Raven stopped, and laughed, "yeah well, ol' Raven's been busy, miss Stella" He shifted slightly, adjusting his hold on the bag of groceries he was carrying, "haven't had much time fer my usual carousin', y'see."

"I heard," she responded, somberly, "It really is a shame; he seemed like a good guy."

"Still is, he just ain't right in th' head fer now," he said, smiling calmly.

"So then... you think he'll recover?" Stella asked, turning away for a moment to hang the sign by the door behind her.

Raven nodded, "I'm sure he will. It's a slow progress, but he is getting better."

"Well that's good then. I'm sure you're taking good care of him," she said with a smile. "Still though, you should stop by sometime; have some time for yourself, y'know?"

"I s'pose you're right," Raven mused, half to himself. "Listen, I gotta get goin', you do take care, Miss Stella."

"Same to you," she said, and watched the older man trot off down the busy street, expertly navigating through the crowd.

Upon his return, the sight of Flynn looking rather upset, slumped with his back against the door greeted him.

"Flynn? Y'alright? Where's Yuri?" Raven jogged the remaining distance between him and the younger man, afraid something was wrong.

"He's inside..." Flynn responded in a tired sort of tone. Raven waited for him to elaborate, and when it was clear he wasn't going to, he turned his gaze to Sodia, standing at Flynn's side.

"He tried to give Yuri a hug," Sodia said with a sigh. "I tried to tell him it wasn't a good idea but he insisted that it would be alright. It wasn't," she said, making Flynn flinch slightly.

Raven rolled his eyes, a tired look falling over his face, "I guess it's up ta ol' Raven ta calm him down then. Miss Sodia if ya could get the Commandant outta th' way of th' door while I get Yuri I'd appreciate it." He set the bag down and sidled around to the side of the small house, locating the window he had left half open to let the warm spring breeze in, "Hey now Yuri, it's alright, no one's gonna hurt ya," he assured gently as he opened the window to its full extent. He began to poke his head in before sharply retreating and ducking instead, just barely missing the glass vase that had suddenly been sent flying out the open window, flowers and all. It collided with the wall of the neighboring building, shattering into a slew of pastel colored pieces. The flowers had left the vase in the course of its flight, and now laid strewn around the small alleyway, like the victims of a terrible car accident. Raven sadly regarded one bright purple flower that had fallen in front of him before leaping to his feet again, "Damnit, Yuri! What'd ya do that for?" he yelled, all pretense of gentleness gone, as he clambered in through the window. "You know it ain't right ta go smashin' other people's things," he folded his arms, surveying the room, looking for a certain- "ah, there ya are. Curled up in the corner. I shoulda guessed."

He crouched next to the younger man, who sat with his head between his legs, his long dark hair falling like an iridescent curtain, obscuring his face from view. His body seemed to shake slightly, an effect that Raven's proximity seemed to only amplify."Hey, hey, it's just me. It's just the ol' man. You're alright, I promise. I ain't gonna let anythin' happen to ya and neither is Flynn. He's just kind of an idiot sometimes," Raven talked in a soothing but casual voice, rather regretting yelling moments before.

Sitting there curled up quivering, Yuri seemed so small and frail, it was almost as if he was a different person. And really, in some ways, he was, as if half of Yuri had left his body along with his voice. It still pained Raven to think that the last time he had heard Yuri's voice it had been in the form of a scream, a wordless, gut wrenching, involuntary cry, asking for someone, anyone, to help him. It wasn't a scream that Raven found easy to forget. Even if Yuri did eventually get better, even if he eventually did forget the terrible sight he had found when he ran to answer that cry, Raven knew that the sound would always lurk in the far corner of his mind, resurfacing in his nightmares.

He detected a slight movement in Yuri, and turned his attention outwards again. Slowly, Yuri lifted his head, looking at Raven with those dark, bewitching eyes. They seemed to be filled with so much despair, anger, and fear, and yet seemed completely blank, an effect that had puzzled Raven since he had first seen it. It had been at that time as well that he realized that none of them was going to hear the sound of his voice in a good long time.

* * *

He entered the room, greeted by the sight of Yuri, propped up slightly in the bed, his fair skin seeming even paler than ever. He was covered in bandages; a few still bearing splotches of red that had soaked through. Yuri was technically awake, but his mind seemed only half there, as he vacantly watched Karol rest in the bed next to him. The boy's expression seemed pained as he tossed and turned in his sleep, occasionally letting out small whimpers of pain that would rouse Estelle from her fitful state of half sleep at his bedside. She would check to make sure he hadn't opened up any of his wounds before falling back into sleep.

Raven approached Yuri, a floorboard creaking slightly as his weight pressed down on it. The sound drew Yuri's attention towards the older man; the younger man's gaze causing Raven to stop dead in his tracks. "H-hey..." Raven rasped quietly, barely above a whisper. He could only see one of Yuri's eyes, the other being covered by a bandage, but that was all he needed to see to understand. There was something missing in Yuri's gaze, and it wasn't coming back anytime soon.

He turned his gaze to Judith, who sat at the foot of Yuri's bed, and asked, despite feeling he already knew the answer, "hasn't said anythin' yet, has he?"

Judith shook her head, her usually radiantly beautiful face marred by a look of distress, "All of his wounds have closed up now though, thanks to Estelle... well, all of the one's we can see, anyway."

Karol squirmed, faintly murmuring a pained "Yuri..." in his sleep.

* * *

"See? Nothin' to be afraid of, just me," Raven smiled calmly. He got to his feet, offering Yuri his hand, "I think Flynn's gotta get goin' now. You aughta come out an' say good bye, he's awfully worried about ya."

Yuri seemed reluctant at first, but gingerly took Raven's firm callused hand, allowing the shorter man to pull him to his feet and lead him to the door. Raven turned the handle and pushed the door open. He had barely gotten Yuri out the door when Flynn rushed to his side.

"Yuri, I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you..." Flynn said, seeming flustered and desperate to amend the misstep he had made.

Yuri gave him another halfhearted shove as he had the day before, his gaze blank.

Flynn laughed slightly, "I suppose I should be acting more professional since we're down in the city today, shouldn't I?"

Yuri nodded simply in response.

"Flynn, we really should get going now," Sodia interjected, tugging gently at the blond man's sleeve, "We need to be back at Zaphias to meet with His Highness Ioder in a few hours."

Flynn seemed reluctant to leave Yuri, but at the same time knew he couldn't neglect his duty. "A-Alright, you go on ahead, I'll be right there..." he then turned his attention back to Yuri, "I'll come visit you again Yuri as soon as I can, alright?" Upon receiving a nod of affirmation from his friend, he turned to Raven, "Thank you again for doing this... I can't imagine it's easy for you..."

Raven laced his fingers behind his head, nonchalant as ever, "don't worry yerself about it. We're doin' just fine. Now go on, ya don't want ta keep Miss Sodia waitin', do ya?"

"Ah, yes," Flynn seemed slightly distracted, glancing over in the direction Sodia had gone, "I should probably go..." He turned to follow her, yelling over his shoulder, "take care Yuri, Raven!"

Yuri and Raven watched him go in silence, until they could no longer make him out among the thick crowd. "Looks like it's just you an' me again, huh?" Raven mused, then adding "and Repede too, 'a course," as he turned to see the dog suddenly at Yuri's side.

Yuri nodded slowly, giving the dog a pat on the head.

Raven then cast a sideways glance down the alleyway and sighed slightly, "looks like I'm gonna hafta get a new vase."


	4. Yuri likes anemones

[[SO. LONG TIME, NO UPDATE? I was struggling with a case of writer's block/general summer vacation malaise. BUT YEAH, I'm so glad that some many people apparently like After! Special thanks go to Sarah for like... everything, brainstorming, proofreading, general motivation... YEAH. THANKS SARAH ILU BUNCHES.]]

The remainder of that day passed relatively uneventfully. Raven spent the majority of it in the small garden he now maintained to keep himself busy. He had found that looking after Yuri was a surprisingly time consuming yet incredibly dull task. In the beginning, he had tried to continue with helping Harry run Altosk, and at first it didn't seem to be a problem. He would run small errands within the city, checking on Yuri at home ever so often. However, following an incident where he had left Yuri in the bath alone for not even 5 minutes, and he'd almost drowned, Raven decided it was best to stay home with Yuri until he was better. He worried that it had been a conscious decision on Yuri's part to do that, but even if he had wanted to ask, Yuri's lips remained closes and his dark eyes revealed nothing.

Raven hadn't realized he was daydreaming until he received a gentle nudge from Repede. He snapped back to reality with a little start, glancing over at the dog, who was gazing intently back at him with what was possibly a slightly confused expression. Raven laughed, patting him on the head, "Did Yuri send ya ta find me?" He stuck his head up, glancing back at the house from where he had situated himself in the garden. He spotted Yuri sitting by the open window, arms draped lethargically upon the windowsill. Raven waved at him, smiling brightly. He turned his attention back to the tomato vine in front of him. He plucked the ones that were ripe off the vine, dropping them into a small basket beside him. He stood up then, following Repede over to where Yuri sat, staring blankly at the patch of faintly purple anemones growing just beneath the window. Raven had planted them there when he had noticed Yuri seemed especially fond of that particular sort of flower.

"What's up?" he inquired. Yuri had taken to sending Repede off to find him whenever he didn't know where Raven was. Yuri looked at the basket in Raven's hand in response. "These're the sweeter tomatoes I told ya about. You'll like'em," he took one from the basket, holding it up to his mouth. Yuri regarded the bite-size red fruit carefully before gently taking it from Raven's hand and eating it. Raven laughed a little at his cautiousness, "what's the verdict? Good?" Yuri nodded slowly, glancing down at Repede, who was sniffing the bottom of the basket. "Alright, so, I take it yer hungry?" Another nod in response, Raven laughed again. "I s'pose ol' Raven will make some dinner then," he said as he headed inside.

* * *

"Hey Yuri, time for bed," Raven rapped gently on the door to the bedroom, pushing the door open.

Yuri turned his head from where he sat lazily slung on the window ledge, and shook his head, seeming almost nervous. Repede lifted his head slightly from where he lay curled up at the foot of the bed.

"Y'know ya can't just never sleep again. It ain't healthy. We all worry 'bout ya enough as it is." Raven walked over, patting Repede on the head, but not taking his gaze off Yuri.

Yuri turned away from him, directing his gaze again out across the darkened city. Of course, the city of Dahngrest was never truly dark, as there was always some sort of business going on. However, the house was high up on the hill in the residential district, and it was late enough that most of the surrounding buildings were dark. The light from downtown was still plainly visible though it was a ways away.

"What're ya afraid of? Th' Yuri I knew wasn't afraid of anythin', right Repede?" Raven turned his gaze to Repede for a moment. The dog whined as if he was uncomfortable with where this conversation was going.

Yuri seemed to ignore the jibe though, remaining motionless. Not that Raven really expected a response. It was a bit frustrating, really.

"C'mon Yuri, stop being difficult!" Raven grabbed the other man's wrist, pulling him a bit roughly off the windowsill. He instantly knew this was a bad idea, as Yuri's eyes widened, and as Raven let go of him, he crumpled to the floor as if his legs had suddenly stopped working.

Of course, in his mind, they had, what with the being broken and mangled an all.

Raven dropped to his knees beside him, grasping his shoulders gently, calling out to him, "Yuri, it's alright, you're okay, calm down!" There was a tone of desperation in his voice. He didn't think he could bear to see this happen again. "Yuri, listen to me, you're fine, snap out of it!"

Yuri seemed unable to hear him, however, as his body began to tense, and he ground his teeth, suffering from the unbearable pain that was all in his head. He doubled over, letting out an involuntary cry, shuddered, and was still for a moment until suddenly his hands rose, clasping tight on Raven's arms. Raven found himself suddenly face to face with Yuri, the dark eyes seeming almost shockingly lucid, unlike the deadened gaze he had grown used to, it was almost as if he was looking at Yuri for the first time in ages. The eyes seemed to plead with him almost as if to say, "help me..." However, before he could respond, he was gone, slumped back over, unresponsive, moaning occasionally. Raven sat stunned for a moment before he remembered Yuri was still in pain. But what was he supposed to do? Yuri apparently couldn't hear him.

Just then, Repede nudged his way to Yuri's side, curling up around him as best he could. This seemed to calm Yuri down a bit, as Repede whined worriedly. "Good thinkin', Repede..." He wrapped an arm gently around the other's back, hoping it would be over soon. It was only a few more minutes, but it felt like hours to Raven, and when Yuri finally looked up at him, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. And then remembered what had trigged the episode in the first place."Yuri, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have lost my temper like that."

Yuri stared at him blankly, petting Repede without even thinking as the dog nudged his hand with his snout. Then, quietly, almost so soft that Raven thought he was imagining it, Yuri spoke, "It's ok."

Raven was unsure if he had just imagined hearing that. He realized just then that he'd almost forgotten the sound of Yuri's voice. Then he finally managed to get a word out "w-what?"

"I'm going to bed," Yuri responded, getting to his feet, undressing, and climbing into bed, while Raven still sat speechless on the floor. Repede nudged the older man repeatedly, until he finally got to his feet, and went to go out the door.

Raven turned to look back at Yuri, seeing that Repede had already curled up right next to him. He smiled, turning off the light, and walked out the door, closing it behind him. He was quite for a moment, and then mumbled, "guess he's alright as long as he's got Repede by his side..." He paused again, then grinned. Yuri had spoken. Twice. For a few fleeting seconds he had seemed as if he was normal again. Did this mean that his words were finally getting through to him?

He'd have to wait until morning to find out. He turned to go to his own bedroom, thoroughly tired from the day's events. It was high time he get some sleep. However, to his immense exasperation, just then, there was an odd knock on the door. He'd recognize that knock anywhere. He had to answer it. He trudged over, and swung the door open, "What's up?"

[[This obnoxious cliffhanger is my promise to you that the next update will come soon~]]


	5. Harry is a smooth individual

[[I literally started this chapter as soon as I put up the last one so YEAH. I had way more fun with this chapter than I should. Hope you all don't mind a little break from all the ~intense drama~ because I do enjoy these two together. (oh and if you don't recall, Harry is Don Whitehorse's failiure of a grandson.) AND ALSO, I forgot to say at the beginning of the last chapter, yes, Stella is from Tales of Legendia. Coincidentally Senel shouting her name is also my favorite unintentional(?) reference to a play in a video game ever.]]

"Is that really how you answer the door?"

"Hey, I knew it was gonna be you! No one else I know knocks like that." Raven laughed, opening the door wider to allow the visitor in. "How ya been, Harry?"

"Busy as hell, of course. How do you think?" The young man walked in, and sat down with a sigh, running a hand through his shaggy blond hair, smudging the war paint streaked across his nose, "I swear this is my first evening off in a month."

Raven trotted into the kitchen, returning with a pot of tea and two cups in hand, "Ya seem ta be handlin' it all pretty well, Boss."

"No thanks to you, old man," Harry paused, and then amended his statement, "I mean... We're doing fine without you around." He crossed his arms over his chest, assuming a resolute posture as if to assert his sincerity.

Raven smiled as perched on the couch across from Harry. He poured the tea, offering one cup to Harry before he took the other for himself. "I knew ya would be. Ya really are all grown up now, Harry, it's just about enough ta make ol' Raven start ta cry!" his voice quavered as he wiped away a single tear.

Harry just rolled his eyes, taking the cup as his muttered his thanks. Even so, his already ruddy face did turn a bit redder, "Oh shut up. I've known you too long to fall for your ridiculous antics, ya know." He adjusted his position slightly, scratching his chin, clearly still unused to the thin layer of stubble that now grew on it. It was true though, over the past few years, the young boy had grown into a man, and now sat relatively comfortably atop the guild union as the new Don. He looked a great deal like his grandfather now, though he had a different, almost volatile energy to him. Perhaps it was just his youth. Raven was never sure. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the top of his legs, "So, how about you? Any news on your front?"

Raven blinked for a moment, "Actually yeah, funny you'd mention it. Yuri just spoke. Wasn't much, but he definitely said somethin'"

Harry's face registered surprise, and then suspicion, he took a drink from his cup before asking, "ya sure you're not imagining things, Raven? I mean, it's been like what, a year since he last spoke? Sure you're not going senile on us?"

"Hey now, I'm old but I'm not _that_ old!"

"Right."

"Ya better watch yer mouth, Harry. Else I'll have ta tell yer girlfriend all a th' embarrassing stories I know from when you were little~" Raven teased, his usual grin on his face.

Harry's face turned bright red, "Y-You wouldn't!"

Raven took a torturously slow sip, his eyes twinkling, "Wouldn't I? You know, I think my favorite one was th' time you escaped from yer bath right when th' union heads were meeti-"

"Would you stop!" Harry seemed rather flustered at all of this, and when Raven proceeded to comment on the color of his face just then, he silenced him with a swift kick to the shin. "A-Anyway, you said Yuri spoke? Have you told anyone yet?"

"Jeez ya sure don't hold back, do ya? Yer lucky I didn't spill any tea..." Raven mumbled as he rubbed his leg a little, then looked up, "Not yet, I kinda want ta wait and see what happens tomorrow, ya know? No reason ta get th' kid all excited right before his bedtime."

"You mean Karol?" Harry asked, getting a nod in return. "Wasn't he there too? I'm surprised he's doin' as well as he is... Gramps sure was right about him, he's a strong kid."

Raven nodded, a soft smile on his face, "Judy says he doe still have nightmares sometimes, but I'd be more worried if he didn't, really," he let out a halfhearted laugh. "I mean after what he saw happen, at his age... it's a miracle he's not more messed up."

Harry looked down into his cup, quiet for a moment, "It shouldn't have happened. If Altosk hadn-"

"You can't blame yerself fer what happened, Harry. Ya made the right decision."

"But if I hadn't-"

"There was no way fer you ta have seen that comin'. Hell, I don't think anyone could've seen that comin'. Fer somethin' like that ta happen ta someone like Yuri..." Raven lowered his eyes, his brows furrowing.

"Yeah... I mean for him to get r-" Harry faltered as he received a stern look from Raven. "...Sorry," he added. A rather strained silence followed.

"So how about that girlfriend of yours?" Raven asked innocently, as he poured himself a second cup of tea. "She let you into her pants yet?"

Harry's face took on a bizarre pained expression, as the tea he had just been drinking spurted out of his nose. Any embarrassed or offended response he may have had was forgotten in the ensuing fit of coughing and sputtering.

"Now _that_ wasn't a very smart thing to do, boss," Raven remarked, clearly using every last bit of restraint he had to not laugh, "Ya alright over there?"

"Not really! Hot tea just shot out of my nose because some _idiot_ who's old enough to be my own father insists on asking me about my lovelife!" Harry wiped his face with his sleeve, significantly less amused than the older man.

"I'm sorry ta hear that. Yer life is just so hard, ain't it?" Raven remarked, hiding a grin behind his cup as he took another sip.

"Oh shut up, old man," Harry put down his glass, clearly no longer in the mood to drink any tea.

"Ya still haven't answered my question," Raven added.

"That's because it's none of your business!" Harry seemed quite indignant, "and you ask why you're not allowed to meet her? That's why!"

"Harry, why ya always gotta say such hurtful things? Who was it who taught ya how ta be a proper gentleman?" Raven flourished his speech with an overly dramatic gesture.

"I have no idea, but it certainly wasn't you," Harry responded flatly, clearly immune to Raven's theatrics. He paused before getting to his feet, "I should get going."

"Aw, but I thought you said ya had th' evenin' off?" Raven said, frowning for a moment before he switched to a knowing smirk, "what, ya got a hot date?"

Harry started to angrily respond, but faltered, before cautiously responding, "as a matter of fact I do. Not that it's any of your business."

Raven smiled warmly, "well have a good time then, an' don't do anything ol' Raven wouldn't do."

Harry nodded, a hint of a smile creeping across his face, "of course."

"And make sure ya come back and give ol' Raven all the juicy details"

Harry groaned, "You're unbelievable. You should know by now that's never going to happen, why do you even try?"

"Wouldn't you be worried about me if I didn't?"

Harry stared at the other man for a moment, before letting out a short laugh, "Yeah, I suppose if you weren't acting like an unrepentant lech that would be a bit troubling." He paused, almost as if he were reluctant to continue, "I'm... glad to see you're doing fine."

Raven got to his feet, following Harry over to the door, "good ta see ya too, Harry." He patted him on the shoulder, then added as Harry started to respond, "hey now, ya don't want ta be late do ya? Anyway, this old man is up way past his bedtime."

"Well goodnight then, Raven," Harry opened the door, then turned his head, "oh, and tell Yuri I said hi."

"Will do, boss," Raven said with a salute. He closed the door behind Harry, and slumped against it with a sigh. He looked up, remarking to the ceiling, "Y'know, different as he is, talkin' to yer grandson is just as tirin' as as talkin' with you, old man." He shook his head, laughing a little. He then yawned, stretching his arms above his head. And with that he set off to bed, a quietly content grin on his face.

[[I apologize for my unnecessary whoring out of my favorite minor character in all of ToV. There will be more plot in the next chapter, I promise. Thanks for reading, hope it was enjoyable!]]


	6. Karol is grown up

[[WOW OKAY time really got away from me. I blame starting college and general writers block. I had like half of this done for like, ever, and then got stuck. SO IF THIS CHAPTER IS AWKWARDLY WRITTEN THAT'S WHY. I have to thank Sarah (wingedsenea) again for bugging me relentlessly to work on this and helping me work through my writers block. This fic would have died long ago if it weren't for her and you should totally go read her fics too because she is awesome and cool!]]

_ Something about the figure sitting in the bed before him frightened him. It seemed so inextricably foreign, and yet unsettlingly familiar. He was reluctant to approach, but felt he had to do so. Stepping gingerly, still, a floorboard creaked underneath, giving away his presence. The figure turned, fixing him with a blank deadened stare, just like always._

_ "H-Hey Yuri," he said as he donned an unconvincing smile._

_ Silence from the man, then, "Why didn't you save me, Raven?" the dark eyes drilled through him, causing him to wince slightly._

_ "I tried, Yuri, I-I really did, I'm sorry..." A sharp intake of breath as the face changed._

_ "Why didn't you save me, Damuron?" Casey asked, "I've always protected you, why couldn't you do the same for me?"_

_ "Casey..." he didn't know what to say. He couldn't move, couldn't respond, and could only stare into the dark eyes gazing back at him._

_ "What is it? Was it because you're weak? Because you're a coward? Why? Why can't you answer me? Why?"_

Raven sat up suddenly, blinked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Sunlight poured in the window, indicating it was already late morning. Raven glanced to his side, seeing a vase of flowers on his bedside table. They were fire lilies, the same kind Casey always loved. "Figures..." Raven muttered, a sad smile coming across his face. He stared at the flowers for a minute, before a low whine brought his attention down to the side of his bed. Repede sat there, a sort of concerned look on his face. "What's the matter, Repede? Ya ain't worried about ol' Raven now are ya?" he laughed lightly, patting the dog on the head as if to reassure him he was okay. He got out of bed with a yawn, stretching his arms above his head. He was just about to remark on how it was odd for Repede to get up without Yuri when he heard a loud noise come from the other room. Panic washed over him as he bolted out of his bedroom, into the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning Raven! I'm sorry; I didn't wake you up, did I?" Judith smiled, reaching down to pick up a pan she'd dropped. "You seemed tired, I thought I stop by and let you sleep in for once." Yuri was fine, sitting at the table, eating breakfast. Repede trotted over, settling into his usual position at Yuri's side.

"Nah, I was already awake, don't worry about it..." Raven mumbled, still frowning slightly as he sat down.

"I heard about what happened yesterday, so I thought I'd get you a new vase, since I was coming over anyway," Judith remarked, as she finished washing up, and sat down as well. "...Is something wrong?"

Raven blinked, snapped out of his thoughts, looking up with a smile, "Hm? Nah, of course not. Don't worry about it."

Judith was unconvinced as usual, but knew that trying to weasel a real answer out of the man was a nigh impossible task. She moved on, "Karol's going to come over later today."

Yuri's head perked up at that. He seemed to be regarding Judith with an air of mild suspicion. Raven's reaction was decidedly more enthusiastic, "That's great! Ain't that excitin', Yuri? Wait til ya see how much he's grown."

Once Judith left, Raven and Yuri moved to the living room, awaiting Karol's arrival. Yuri still had yet to speak again, and Raven was unsure whether to mention it or not. A thought struck him just then. What if he _had _imagined it, as Harry had said? He wasn't going senile, by any means, but what if he had wanted to hear Yuri speak again _so badly_ that he had imagined it? It had been late, after all, and he had been tired. And really, like the first thing Yuri was going to say was going to be something as innocuous as that, really. Raven's second guessing his memory was cut short by a knock on the door. He got to his feet, glancing over at Yuri, "I bet ya anythin' this is Karol~" He strode over and answered the door, and sure enough he was greeted by the sight of the bushy brown haired boy. "About time ya visited," Raven grinned, ruffling Karol's hair, and then letting him inside.

"H-hey Raven..." Karol nervously hovered in the doorway, and hesitated before entering the room. Yuri looked up to Karol blankly, blinking in recognition that he was there. A small frown of worry etched on his face but it quickly receded.

"Yuri... I-I'm sorry I haven't come to see you," Karol looked down at his feet. Yuri remained quiet, absently patting Repede on the head as he walked over. Repede sat at Yuri's feet, as if to protect him. "I've been trying really hard to be brave and strong... it's not easy b-but I'm trying my best..." Karol stumbled over his words awkwardly, unsure how to express them. "But... if I wasn't sure what to do... I-I'd always think what you would say or do... S-So I guess I was afraid... a-afraid to see you not being the strong confident Yuri that I remember..." Karol seemed somewhat confident with this conclusion. He looked up at Yuri cautiously. Yuri stared back.

"Th' fact that you can figure that out for yourself proves that you've done a lot of growin' up," Raven commented. He was standing behind Karol, leaning lazily against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest.

Karol turned his head to the older man, "R-really?"

Raven nodded. "Of course; now, how 'bout you tell Yuri some of the things Brave Vesperia and the great Captain Karol has been up to, hmm?" He gave Karol a reassuring pat on the back, "I know he'd love ta hear about it... Right Yuri?"

Karol glanced over at Yuri, who nodded. Karol smiled at this, and trotted over to Yuri. "A-Alright then!" he sat down beside Repede, looking up at Yuri. Raven couldn't help notice how much bigger Karol seemed, sitting next to Yuri as he hadn't in almost a year. Yuri was still taller, but also much thinner than before. He wondered how long it would be until Karol was taller.

"So um... Let me think... Oh! Well the other day some of us went out to Keiv Moc and suddenly this big monster showed up! We totally took it down no problem! I-it was great! Then this other time..."Karol continued to recount various stories of the guild's exploits. Yuri listened, of course, quietly. His attention was clearly fixed on Karol though. Raven smiled softly, remaining in the doorway. It could have just been his imagination, but Raven could have almost sworn he glimpsed a faint smile on Yuri's face. Maybe he had imagined Yuri talking the night before. It didn't really matter. This was enough for now.

[[ALSO UM I would have put this note at the start but I didn't want to spoil the flashback. I'm sure you're all familiar with the Casey's bow sidequest, but probably fewer are familiar with Damuron/the light novel. Damuron was Raven's identity before he died. He was a noble and a giant flirty douche until he met Casey. This is all from the light novel Empty Mask writen by one of the writers for ToV, and is thus canon. It's very interesting and you can learn more about it by googling "empty mask summary" since apparently eats links.]]


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